Violence In Jamaica Essay

At the forefront of the press in Jamaica are stories of violence that not only kills but threatens personal safety, limits access to employment, and it undercuts community-based organizations (Moser and Holland, 1997).

According to Lacey (1997) violence can be described as the act of being violent or more narrowly, the act of exercising physical force.

The World Health Organization (2014) describes violence whether threatened or real, as the intentional use of either physical force or power either against oneself, community or against another person, whereby the effects are either fatal or causes significant injury or harm.

For a country with just under 3 million people, Jamaica has endured and continues to endure exposure to violence at the individual, family and community level. Per capita, Jamaica has one of the highest rates of homicide (Overseas Security Advisory Council, 2012).

History of Violence in Jamaica

Historically, violence in Jamaica has escalated since we have gained independence in 1962 (Lacey, 1997; Moser & Holland, 1997). Acts of violence have been mainly attributed to poverty, drugs, gangs, politics and retribution (Overseas Security Advisory Council, 2012; lacey, 1997), with political violence being a prominent feature since 1944 (Moser & Holland, 1997).

Drug violence also plays a pivotal part especially in relation to cocaine and crack. Domestic violence which constitutes heinous crimes such as rape, sexual assault, abuse and murder has also seen an increase (Moser & Holland, 1997).

Prevalence and Statistics

Witnessing violence involves direct exposure to watching or hearing about violent events; being directly involved through the intervention of a violent act; or being the victim of a violent act (Fan...

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...elinas (2001) further posits that the exposure level of violence can only be changed through the involvement of social, cultural and political agendas that seek to genuinely address and reduce exposure and create healing.

In an effort to reduce poverty and create an environment for sustainable national development the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) was designed in February 1996, as a poverty eradication programme in partnership with NGO’s, the private sector and communities.

As communities and societies continue to develop, inevitably studies will continue to be undertaken. Nonetheless, there is certainly a need for extensive cultural research in the area of best practices and strategies on the prevention and intervention of violence.

According to Adams (2006), not many programmes exist that provide benchmark practices in mitigating the impact of violence.